AMHERST, Mass. - A team of microbiologists at the University of Massachusetts has uncovered the unusual survival strategies used by a common bacterium. The finding could have implications in cleaning up contaminants ranging from petroleum to uranium. The study, by Derek Lovley, head of the microbiology department, and Susan Childers, a postdoctoral researcher, will be detailed in the April 18 issue of the journal Nature. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts plans tandem events at the end of this month, aimed at underscoring the ways in which the five UMass campuses contribute to the Commonwealth’s workforce and economy. "Show Your UMass Spirit Day" is scheduled for Fri., April 26, and "UMass Day," a series of events held around the state and showcasing the University’s five campuses, is scheduled for Sat., April 27.

AMHERST, Mass. - A University of Massachusetts polymer scientist is part of a team that has found a new way to design and construct molecules that are antibacterial, and could someday be embedded in items ranging from countertops to "smart" fabrics for surgical gowns.

AMHERST, Mass. - N.J. Demerath, professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts, will give a Distinguished Faculty Lecture titled, "Cross and Double-Cross: Religion and Politics at Home and Abroad," Wed., April 17 at 4 p.m. in the Massachusetts Room of the Mullins Center. The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception follows.

AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Extension Floriculture Program is helping to promote agriculture in Massachusetts and kick off the spring season by co-sponsoring a program to give away 32,000 pansy plants through participating retail garden centers in Massachusetts. UMass Extension is collaborating in the program with the Massachusetts Flower Growers Association (MFGA) and the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture.

AMHERST, Mass. - Historian and author Deborah Lipstadt will give a talk titled, "The Holocaust on Trial," Thurs., April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Mahar Auditorium at the University of Massachusetts. The talk is free and open to the public.

AMHERST, Mass. - This month, high school students in Massachusetts and across the country will get a taste of how science is done on board the International Space Station (ISS), courtesy of a collaborative project at the University of Massachusetts, funded by the Massachusetts Space Consortium. The project is tied in with the space shuttle Atlantis, which blasted off for an 11-day mission late yesterday afternoon. The students will rely on elements as high-tech as specialized software and real-time downloads from the space station - and as low-tech as recycled milk bottles - to learn about space biology. Students will study topics such as weightlessness and its effects on plants, including fruit and flower development and photosynthesis; and how astronauts recycle and purify water and air for re-use.

AMHERST, Mass. - The U.S. News & World Report’s year 2003 rankings of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” ranked the department of computer science in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts number 25 in the nation overall and number six specifically in the area of artificial intelligence.